I actually fixed it. The WEI just wasn't updating. It rates the card a 5.9 now.

However, MS won't let me reactivate my copy of Vista and wants me to buy a new license. I thought they did away with that? Guess I'll be going back to XP 

Not much user info out there about this one yet, so I figured I would solve that problem.

Decided I needed a desktop, ordered my stuff. Already had an X2 5200 from my last build that didn't work out so well (forgot to return it). Ended up with these specs

64 X2 5200

250GB SATA hd

ASUS SATA DVD-ROM x2

BenQ 19" LCD monitor with HDMI input

2GB DDR2 800 RAM

Radeon HD 2900XT

Took me two days to get it up and running; the HD 2900XT is a bit finnicky with the PSU; supposedly you can use 2 2x3 connectors, but that didn't work for me. I realized one of my PSU connectors had a little 2-pin thing sticking out, which turned it into a 2x4, so I used the standard connection. Finally got it to work.

So far, this is my experience after getting Vista Ultimate on here

1) No audio output from HDMI connection into my headphones. Not sure if something on the card is fubar or the audio jack is dead. Maybe something isn't confiugred right, although the mixer shows the HD audio device processing audio

2) Windows Experience Index rates the HD card a 2.8. WTF? Maybe I got a bad card

I'm currently downloading 3DMark and installing a couple games to check its actual peformance. Maybe Vista is just stupid when rating the card?  

[QUOTE="HooahDOc"]

I hope you'e in your teens to be getting a job for a specific object.

 

I know someone who recently graduated from high school, lives with his parents, and got a PT job -- to pay for MTG cards! This is all he does.

zero9167

I am one of the lucky few to have actually done what he wants to do. I'm finishing my MD right now after getting a PhD. I have published research. I also have a family. Anything else?

I hope you'e in your teens to be getting a job for a specific object.

I know someone who recently graduated from high school, lives with his parents, and got a PT job -- to pay for MTG cards! This is all he does.

[QUOTE="fatboyvinnie"]

I think thats complete rubbish because if videogaming is such a waste of time then i guess playing guitar or reading a book is a waste of time. For example: even though you are completely forgetting the types of jobs and rewards you can get by playing videogames such as being a videogame tester or a games reviewer or even just being a proffesional gamer and winning some huge prizes in tournaments you can also consider the fact that most people don't even get to be in a band no matter how good they are on the guitar and what kind of job can you get by reading books. So i'm sorry but that's just total rubbish

Fair enough if you just want a break to do other things but to completely abandon a perfectly good and relaxing hobby is just silly.

I also tend to read books,weightlifting walk dogs go to concerts and so on as well,but i will always play games

Mediocre_man90

That post itself is rubbish. Being a video game tester isn't a very rewarding job, it's the kind of thing you do to help pay for college. same with game reviewer, if you get payed at all. really, the only way you get payed enough to make a living is if you get a job with a big site like GS, and that's not likely. Professional gaming is a viable option, but just like professional athletes, they're the best of the best. any average joe needs to think twice before trying to go pro, as he will get destroyed by the pros.

Also, anyone can be in a band. all you need is a bassist and possibly a singer. Drums can be handled with a drum machine (though not as good as live drums) and if you're really talented you can sing yourself. Or you could go solo, which is just as good. just because you've never heard of a band doesn't mean it doesn't exist. they might not be famous, but that shouldn't be the important thing. Playing music can be rewarding without making you a cent. You're creating something out of thin air, something that is uniquely yours. Games don't offer that. It's not just about how much money you make.

Utility has nothing to do with the medium from which it comes. Gaming, like music, is a HOBBY (or at least should be) participated in for enjoyment; only a vast minority become proficient enough to turn these into careers.

I read several hundred pages of stuff a week, spend 30-40 hours a week studying, and get to deal with sick people all day. I use my computer mainly to read online journals. Sometimes, though, I just want to blast some monsters on my computer. Sometimes I pick up my sax or play the piano. Sometimes I go out with my buddies. The only consistent hobby I really have is martial arts, and even then I occasionally just want to do something different.

Anything anyone does for pleasure has an intrinsic value, regardless of what that thing is. I like to learn things outside of my required disciplines; my knowing a great deal about physics is pretty useless, but I enjoy learning.

I'm a bit mystified why many on here consider tooling around on a guitar when they're not recording musicians (and probably never will be) to be infinitely more "productive" than wasting 30-45 minutes playing a video game. What value is derived from mastering some crappy alt-rock songs? Pleasure would be my guess.

Who cares how you spend your free time to relax or unwind? If I could go to Europe or deep sea fishing every other weekend, I would. But this isn't feasible. So I enjoy practicing martial arts and occasionally playing a video game.

 I suspect many of you are either too young or too lazy to have a real career, and instead spend your time bouncing around various hobbies to convince yourselves you're being productive and avoid the guilt of not being so; those who realize they are addicted to something usually do this. You really want to be productive, open your textbooks and study hard, or work hard at your job. Educate yourself. Move up in the world. Those are the things that matter. Set goals and go for them.

If your goal is to become a video game developer, critic, tester, or whatever, then by all means game on. 

Dr. J 

[QUOTE="HooahDOc"]Some of you need to learn the definition of addiction before you go around saying it's impossible to become addicted to anything other than physical substances. You can become "addicted" to anything.

There are two types of addiction -- physiological (chemical) and psychological. Drug abusers are obviously the prior, and are typically a combination of both. It is possible to have a psychological addiction to something without physiologic dependency. A better definition of "addiction" would be the repeated use of substances or participation in behaviors despite clear problems secondary to the use or participation. I would say obsessively playing WoW while ignoring your wife and child fits this category.
Alkpaz